Gas-generating plant.



No. 796,632. PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905. T. P. FITZSIMMONS.

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No. 796,632. PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

T. F. PITZSIMMONS.

GAS GENERATING PLANT.

APPLICATION rum) AUG. 4.1904.

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GAS-GENERATING PLANT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8-, 1905.

Application filed August 4;, 1904. Serial No. 219,560. 7

- address is No. 503 Humboldt street, Brooklyn,

New York,) have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Generating Plants, which is fully set forth in the following specification.

My invention relates to a gas-plant for the production of either ordinary producer-gas for fuel for gas-engine and furnace work or watergas for fuel and metallurgical purposes or a mixture of water-gas and producer-gas for fuel or carbureted water-gas for lighting.

The invention comprises a plurality of generators with connected parts that may be operated in difierent manners for different purposes and also in certain details to'be hereinafter pointed out.

For the sake of clearness I will describe my invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a simple embodiment.

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, showing three generators, together with a separator, a cooler, a scrubbing device, and suitable connections for.operating all three of the generators as a single unit or any one of the three generators, &c. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the line 11 II of Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 and 4 are details showing, respectively, an air-inlet and an oil-injector.

A, J, and J represent the generators, hereinafter considered as three, though any number may be employed. These generators are alike in construction, and I will now describe the one marked A, of which a vertical section is shown in Fig. 2. The generators are shown as cylindrical in form, with suitable fire-brick lining and doors for the removal of ashes and clinkers and also grate-bars (preferably constructed of fire-brick or other refractory material) to support the fuel-bed. At the top is a removable cap a for the insertion of fuel and near the top a valve-controlled outlet B. Around the bottom of the generator is an annular air-box C, controlled by a valve 0, from which a plurality of vertical passage-ways 0 pass upward to the poker-holes and thence to the mass of fuel, as will be explained later.

D represents a plurality of poker-holes located around the generator and very near the line of the grate-bars. Through the upper part of these poker-holes are steam-injection pipes E. The air-passages from the air-box extend to a point above the poker-holes and then bend downward and open into the poker holes, as seen in Fig. 3, so that ashes will not be liable to fall into the air-box. Another set of steam-injection pipes E terminates just at the grate-line beneath the bed of fuel, as shown. The third set of steam-injection pipes terminates at the top of the generator above the fuel.

F is a valve-controlled passage leading to the separator Gr. This outlet is shown as having an eccentrically-located passage-way in which is seated a disk valve having an opening which normally registers with the outlet; but when the disk is turned on its axis it closes the outlet.

The separator G is a closed receptacle communicating with generators A, J, and J on .the one side and leading to the cooler H on the other. The separator is provided with a diaphragm or central partition which consists of two iron lattices inclosing a layer of coke g. Unconsumed fuel, ashes, dust, &c., that might pass through the outlet F will be stopped by the screen g, so that only the strained gases will pass into the cooler. A door G permits the separator to be cleaned out, and a small door g" permits the coke to be renewed.

H represents the cooler, the particular construction of which is not claimed in the present application, since I reserve the right to file a separate application therefor. It is sufficient to say that the heated gases from the generator after passing through the separator G are led in a tortuous manner through the cooler H, so that the heat of the gas is imparted to Water, which is thus converted into steam for supplying steam-pipes E E E. From the cooler H the cooled gases are led to the wet scrubber I, which needs no particular description, and thence out. A fan or other source of vacuum is connected to the exit of scrubber I, which causes suction all the way from the separator Gr through the cooler and the scrubber.

J and J represent other generators precisely like generator A, which has been described. The drawings show three generators in all, though any number may be employed. The valve-controlled outlet B from the top of generator A communicates with the closed chamber K, and so do the corresponding valve-controlled outlets L and M from the tops of generators J and J, respectively. Valve-controlled outlets N and O,

respectively, lead from the bottoms of generators J and J to the forward side of the scrubber Gr.

To operate my apparatus, I begin as follows: The upper valves L, B, and M are closed, the lower valves N, F, and O are opened, and when the fan or other source of vacuum located at the exit of scrubber I is started this would cause a downward draft in all three of the generators. Fuel (wood, coal, &c.)is put in from the top a and ignited. The ash-pit doors are sealed up, the covers a remaining open and the valves remaining as before. Thereupon the three generators are bringing downward the gases of combustion, which are drawn through the system and out beyond I, furnishing an ordinary producer-gas, which may be used for fuel and engine-work. In the meantime heat is being imparted to the water in cooler H until the same is raised to steam for admission (when desired) into the steam system E. When the fuel in the generators has become incandescent, I may close the lower valves N and O (of the two outside generators J and J and the covers a of all three generators and open the air-inlets c of the two outside generators (the air-inlets 0 of the middle generator remaining closed) and open the three upper valves L, B, and M. Thereupon air enters at the bottom at each of the two outside generators J and J, the draft passes upwardly through the same and out through passages L and M, respectively, into the receptacle K, thence through passage B into the middle generator A and down through and into the incandescent fuel therein, and finally through passage F and the rest of the system. The fuel in the two primary generators Jand J being not entirely consumed, a mixture of unstable gases is driven off, (containing tarry matter, &c.,) and these gases passing downward through the incandescent fuel ingenerator A (which of course is also giving gas of its own) become fixed, as well understood in the art. This manner of operation gives a producer-gas of high quality. After some time of operation in this mannerfrom five to twenty minutes or more, according to conditions and the judgment of the attendantthe direction of the draft is reversed in order to restore amore uniform incandescence at the top and bottom of the fuel. For instance, air may be admitted at the bottom of the middle generator A and of one of the outside generators J, while the other outside generator J acts as a fixer, the six valves B, F,L, M, N, and O being adjusted accordingly. By this means I am enabled to reverse the direction of draft in each generator at will; but care must be taken in admitting cold air, as explained below. By means of this reversal of the draft I am also enabled (assisted by the admission of steam, as below) to clear out the ashes and clinkers.

For making water-gas, steam is admitted into the two generators which are then operating as the primary generators of the series through one or more of the injectors of the system E and E, (and sometimes E.) This steam, being H2O in the form best suited for disintegration, adds its hydrogen to the gases already produced, whereby the thin producer-gas is converted into the richer water-gas. The direction of the draft in each generator is reversed from time to time, as already explained. A noticeable feature of my steam-injection system is that the whole body of the steam is not admitted in a mass, which would operate not only to blow a hole in the fuel, but also would tend to break up the fire-brick lining of the furnace, and, further, would naturally reduce the incandescence of that part of the fuel with which it first comes in contact and would fail to be acted v upon in the most eflicient manner, whereas by introducing the steam through the different systems indicated and through the plurality of orifices around each furnace each small jet of steam is fully disintegrated, and the steam itself does not cause the undesirable results above referred to. There are serious objections also to admitting steam into the ash-pit beneath the grate-bars. Therefore my lowermost steam-outlets E are located practically on a level with the bottom of the fuel. The uppermost series of steam-inlets E" are located above the fuel-line for use in charging with fresh fuel in a manner to be explained.

To make carbureted water-gas, I proceed in the manner described for making straight water-gas, but at the same time admit oil into the receptacle K through the inlets is. The amount of oil admitted may be adjusted and apportioned to the amount of steam admitted, according to the conditions and the judgment of the attendant. The oil on entering the re ceptacle K becomes vaporized by the intense heat of the gases therein and passes into the fixing-generator? along with these unstable gases, and in the fixing-generator the whole mixture is reducedand fixed, as is well understood in the art. In making carbureted water-gas as above the direction of the current in the generators is reversed from time to time, as already explained.

In order to charge with fuel, I first close the upper valve, (L, B, or M, as the case may be, or any two of them,) while the correspond-- ing lower valve is open, so as to exhaust as far as possible all gases from the top of the generator to be charged. Steam is admitted to the top of this generator through the ducts E, serving to blow out said gases and prevent any dangerous explosive mixture with air. Then the cover a is removed and new remarkable.

alone or any two of them or all three together. In the last two cases one generator acts as a fixer to improve the quality of the gas. I am enabled to reverse the direction of the current in each generator at will, and I can produce either.producergas or straight water-gas or a mixture of the two or a carbureted watergas and all with the same system.

I have thus explained in detail the various parts of my invention merely for the sake of explanation; but I do not limit myself to the precise details or the exact arrangement shown. Parts of my invention may be used to the exclusion of other parts. The-spirit of my invention consists in a system comprising a plurality of generators each one of which can be made to burn from the bottom upward or from the top downward and in which the thin gases of incompletecombustion may be led from one generator to another.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A gas plant comprising a plurality of generators connected at the tops by valvecontrolled passage-ways with a receptacle common to all and each connected at its bottom with a source of vacuum by a valve-controlled passage.

2. A gas-generating plant comprising two or more generators having at their tops valvecontrolled communication with a receptacle common to all, and each having at its bottom a Valve-controlled communication with a source of vacuum, whereby a draft through each generator may be reversed, substantially a Valve-controlled passage-way at its top with a receptacle common to all.

5. In a furnace arranged to'burn alternately upward and downward, an air-box located beneath the same, and provided with a plurality of passage-ways located around the furnace and leading into the bottom of the fuel by means of a siphon, whereby the air is heated before admission into the fuel and ashes may be kept from the said passage-ways.

6. A furnace comprising an annular air-box beneath its bottom said air-box having upwardly extending passage ways located around the furnace, a number of poker-holes located just above the grate-line of the furnace, said air-passages opening into the upper sides of said poker-holes, a series of steaminjection pipes opening into the said pokerholes, another series of steam-injection pipes terminating at the grate-line and beneath the bed of fuel, and a third series of steam-injection pipes communicating with the top of said furnace.

7. A gas plant comprising a plurality of generators, each of which communicates by a valve-controlled passage-way at its top with a receptacle common to all, and each of which generators has a valve-controlled air-inlet at its topand a similar inlet at its bottom and a Valve-controlled outlet leading from its bottom to a source of vacuum.

8. A gas-generating plant comprising a plurality of generators each having a valve-controlled passage-way at its bottom communieating with a common outlet, a closed receptacle having a valve-controlled communication with the top of each generator, and valvecontrolled air-inlets at the top and bottom of each generator respectively, as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS F. FITZSIMMONS.

Witnesses:

(J. A. L. MASSIE, R. L. Soo'r'r. 

